“Dreams are easy, Franny, but you can’t live on them.”
Author: Claire LaZebnik
Rating: 4.3/5
Started on: June 28, 2016
Finished on: July 01, 2016
Edition: Paperback
Published by: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction, Chick lit, Retelling
Synopsis:
Franny’s supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can’t blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .
Franny Pearson never dreamed she’d be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she’s not, exactly. She’s working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady.
When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can’t hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected.
The Trouble With Flirting is definitely the perfect “next book” after reading an intense, melodramatic novel (I’m looking at you, Me Before You)! No drama that’ll make you tear up, no action that’ll give you a heart attack, no plot twist that’ll break your heart. Just some scenes that’ll make you light-headed, laugh your heart out, smile from ear to ear, feel all the butterflies in your stomach, and will definitely make you want your own Alex, Julia, Vanessa, Lawrence, Isabella, and Harry Cartwright. I absolutely enjoyed every moment with this novel! It just makes me feel so alive, and happy, puts me in a good mood, and gives me so much hope for my future love life 😂
Anyway, let’s start talking about the novel.
“There’s the way people look on the outside and the way they really are, and with me you never even saw the difference.”
Franny Pearson isn’t like her classmates that would have the best summer job, and the most interesting essays once school resumes. She’d be in a summer theatre program, helping her Aunt Amelia sew costumes for people involved in something she always loved. She already prepared herself for (possibly) the worst summer in history, but all of her expectations changed when Alex Braverman showed up in the dining hall on every student’s first day.
While working for her aunt, Franny managed to make friends with Julia, her friend back in middle school and, not to mention, Alex’s sister, Vannessa, Lawrence, Alex, Isabella, Alex’s apple of the eye, Marie, and Harry Cartwright, the flirtatious guy who seems to “flirt with everything that’s moving”.
Everything seemed so perfect for Franny, until Isabella and Alex starts hanging out more often and her dear Braverman only talks to her when Isabella’s smoking with her best friend, Harry and Vanessa; until Harry starts to be more than just flirt with her; until her heart starts to become confused.
Soon she realizes how destiny’s playing with her and, with a certain twist of events, would learn that not every man with a “good guy” image should be trusted and not every stereotype, bad looking guy doesn’t know how to love someone deeply and will take the one he loves seriously.
Even though this novella is a fun read, it wasn’t very exciting. I also didn’t like the fact that almost all of the proceeding scenes are undeniably predictable. But hey, at least everybody ended up with who I wanted them to end up with.
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